Les Voyages Extraordinaires , the new High Jewellery collection from Van Cleef Arpels will be presented at the 25th Biennale des Antiquaires in Paris, and will reveal a number of exceptional jewels. Among them, four rings exclusively made for the exhibition, each in their own way evoking the world of Jules Verne.  Four rings, for the four novels by Jules Verne that inspired Les Voyages Extraordinaires collection. This unique quartet forms the quintessence of the over 100-pieces High Jewellery collection, which is a concentration of the irresistible charisma of Stones of Character, the talent and expertise of the Mains d’Or, and the creative audacity that inspires Van Cleef & Arpels as makers of marvels.  Each ring is a symbolic representation of fantasy literature and has given us an opportunity to take on some incredible technical and artistic challenges.

Excelling ourselves is Van Cleef & Arpels’ raison d’être.  We have chosen four books by Jules Verne: Five Weeks in a balloon, Journey to the Centre of the Earth, From the Earth to the Moon and the most famous, Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea explains Nicolas Bos, Creative Director and President of the American subsidiary in New York. These fantastic adventures, known all over the world, are like reflective prisms that enable us to rework Van Cleef & Arpels’ design codes and gloriously magnify them. The dream world of Jules Verne resonates with the Maison whose artistic heritage has been built around the beauty of flora and fauna, the sky and the stars, and imaginary creatures… As an echo of this prolific author’s work and the four elements of earth, air, fire and water, these pieces have been named Tellus, Aeros, Héphaïstos and Hydôr, which are journeys in themselves, singing hymns of praise to these stones that make hearts beat a little faster.   - Stanislas de Quercize, President of the Maison

Hydôr: a nugget from the deepest depths of the oceans

The sea, both soothing and dangerous, plays host to fantastic creatures and legendary animals. It is also the theatre of tales of fantasy, myth and legend. The Hydôr ring takes inspiration from the energy released by the currents and the swirling eddies of waves as they plunge into the watery depths. The helicoidal structure of the platinum collet, set both above and below, splendidly shows off a magnificent 20.04-carat oval Ceylon sapphire. Small round diamonds twist in spirals around this gem, with a charm as hypnotic as the song of the mermaids. A harmonious gradation of blue sapphires simulates the relief of moving waters.

Tellus: the beauty at the origin of the world

Seen from the sky during a balloon flight, the soft gold high grass of the wind-beaten savannah offers a spectacle that is as calm as it is savage. Untamable and undulating like the mane of an African lion, these grasses adorn the white gold collet of the Tellus ring. Worked in an artistic setting of brilliants, they are magnified by a gradation of yellow sapphires, emeralds, mandarin garnets and tsavorites, individually selected according to their colour to obtain a brilliance of perfect uniformity. At the centre of this exceptional artistic piece sits the queen of this nature-inspired sculpture – a majestic Columbian emerald with a cushion size of 10.98 carats

Aeros: Ethereal Supernova

The inspiration of Jules Verne seemed to know no bounds – certainly not those of the galaxy that the child within each of us longs to explore aboard a spaceship. As if captured within an interstellar nebula, the Aeros ring provides the backdrop for a perfect gemstone (DIF, type 2A), a diamond of exceptional purity and whiteness. Reminiscent of Golconde diamonds, it has the weight of its 15.88 carats and is entwined in a very intricate motif of diamonds. With fine, ethereal openwork, the platinum collet is set with round, baguette, triangular and square-cut diamonds. This refined mosaic enhances the majesty and unforgettable brilliance of the oval diamond.

 

Héphaïstos: a volcanic temperament

The bowels of the Earth provide a palette of unique colours: fiery reds, magmatic oranges and the yellows of burning lava. The Héphaïstos ring is a firework display of colours, as hot as Héphaïstos’s forge. On its sculpted pink-gold collet erupts an imposing 8.19 carat oval Mozambique ruby. An effluent and precious lava-flow, all in brilliants, yellow diamonds and garnets, winds its way around this stone of fire. This play of bright, warm colours brings a flamboyant touch to the Journey to the Centre of the Earth imagined by Jules Verne and freely realised by Van Cleef & Arpels.

“Throughout the world, Jules Verne is synonymous with science fiction, fantasy, and scientific and poetical exploration,” explains Nicolas Bos, Director of Creation and President of the American subsidiary of Van Cleef & Arpels. With Les Voyages Extraordinaires collection, he is also synonymous with eternal beauty.

Les Voyages Extraordinaires is a trademark of Van Cleef & Arpels.  All images ©Van Cleef & Arpels.

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